Overwatch patch nerfs some major characters including Genji and players aren’t pleased


In Overwatch’s most recent patch, several major characters were nerfed, including Genji – and people aren’t too happy about it, if we’re completely honest.

Among the changes are new skill rating changes and the removal of a few mechanics (sudden death, namely). That’s not important though, is it? You only care about your favorite Overwatch go-to character. Don’t lie.

Well, we’ve got you covered on that, so don’t worry. From the official Overwatch patch notes:

General

  • Ultimates that consume the ultimate meter when activated will now drain the meter more quickly (.25 second instead of 1 second)
  • Reverted a recent change to reduce size of heroes’ projectiles

Developer Comments: Altering the size of projectiles in flight had too many unintended side effects to keep in the game, at least in its current form. We will continue watching this and make additional changes if necessary.

Overwatch
source: ign.com

D.Va

  • Defense Matrix
    • After being activated, Defense Matrix will begin regenerating following a 1-second delay (formerly .5 seconds)

Developer Comments: Defense Matrix was too efficient when tapped repeatedly, instead of being held. Now, the recovery delay matches the ability cooldown.

Hanzo

  • Hanzo will now experience a 30% decrease in speed while aiming (formerly 40%)
  • Maximum projectile speed has been increased by 30%

Developer Comments: Hanzo has the potential to deal a lot of damage, but he can feel really inconsistent, even at a medium distance. By increasing the projectile speed, we’re extending his reliable range, making it easier to land shots without having to perfectly predict enemy movement.

Mei

  • Blizzard
    • The Blizzard projectile now pierces barriers
    • Radius has been increased from 8 meters to 10 meters

Developer Comments: Mei has an interesting toolkit, but her ultimate often felt like it was too difficult to use effectively. Consequently, it felt weak compared to many other ultimate abilities. The freeze effect has been piercing barriers for some time now, but the projectile would still be blocked. Now, you can throw it down exactly where you want it, so it’s much easier to utilize the full radius effectively.

Overwatch
source: playoverwatch.com

McCree

  • Deadeye
    • Now drains over a .25-second period (instead of displaying a 50% reduction on the ultimate meter when activated and 0% when confirmed)

Developer Comments: If players managed to counter or avoid McCree’s ultimate, it would often regenerate very quickly since only half of the ultimate charge was spent. Now, this ultimate works like every other ultimate that has a duration.

Mercy

  • Caduceus Staff
    • Healing Beam
    • Healing-per-second has been increased by 20%
  • Resurrect
    • Resurrected allies will be able to maneuver after 2.25 seconds (reduced from 3 seconds)

Developer Comments: Resurrection now allows teammates to jump back into the fight more quickly, which should help Mercy survive after activating her ultimate. Mercy’s healing is also getting a boost to solidify her role as a strong, single-target healer.

Genji

  • Double jump no longer resets when wall climbing
  • Dash
    • No longer deals damage to traps like Widowmaker’s Venom Mine or Junkrat’s Steel Trap
    • No longer bypasses Junkrat’s Steel Trap
  • Swift Strike
    • No longer interrupts quick melee attacks
  • Dragonblade
    • Duration of Genji’s ultimate has been reduced from 8 seconds to 6 seconds

Developer Comments: Genji was a little too difficult to pin down, and these changes will balance his speed. Swift Strike no longer cancels the recovery time from a quick melee attack, so players will no longer be able to get a free melee attack before using Swift Strike. Lastly, Dragonblade’s duration was long enough that it often felt too difficult to reasonably counter.

Overwatch
source: playoverwatch.com

Lúcio

  • Amp It Up
    • The boosting of movement speed has been decreased by 30% (from a 100% increase to a 70% increase)

Developer Comments: Thanks to Lúcio’s speed increase, he was almost a must pick in every lineup.

Roadhog

  • Chain Hook
    • If the hooked target isn’t in Roadhog’s line of sight when retracting the hook, they will be moved back to the position where they were originally hooked

Developer Comments: This change means that hooked targets will be less likely to slide along walls, potentially ending up in an odd place after they’ve been reeled in.

Zenyatta

  • Orb of Discord
    • The amount of damage amplified by a target with Orb of Discord has been decreased from 50% to 30%
  • Orb of Destruction
    • Damage has been increased from 40 to 46

Developer Comments: Zenyatta is in a far better place since the last update, but the strength of Orb of Discord has turned him into an almost mandatory pick. These changes reduce Orb of Discord’s effectiveness, but his damage-dealing potential has been increased. The amount of damage that he delivers should feel largely unaffected by the change.”

Overwatch
source: forbes.com

It looks like the patch will iron out a lot of balance issues within the game, and help sustain a more level playing field for everyone. Hopefully it all pans out well, because if not, more changes will be needed in a future update. This is, as always, a public test of sorts.

Stay tuned to Fraghero for all the best on Overwatch and more.